NEW REPORT TO CONGRESS RECOMMENDS GUN OWNER LICENSING AND GUN REGISTRATION

dZ

New member
For Immediate Release
03/24/00 http://www.handguncontrol.org/press/release.asp?Record=135
PARTNERSHIP FOR PREVENTION'S NEW REPORT TO CONGRESS RECOMMENDS GUN OWNER
LICENSING AND GUN REGISTRATION; Handgun Control Calls on Congress to Enact Life-Saving Measures

(Washington, D.C.) Michael Barnes, President of Handgun Control and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, praised a report released today by Partnership for
Prevention at the Prevention 2000 conference in Atlanta, GA. The report, which was prepared at the request of a bipartisan Congressional body, identifies nine national
policies that have the greatest potential to prevent the most disease, injury and premature death among Americans. One of the nine policy recommendations is for
Congress to enact gun owner licensing and gun registration across the country.

In 1998, the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Prevention Coalition asked Partnership for Prevention to answer a simple question: which policies have the greatest
potential to prevent the most disease and injury? Partnership, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, surveyed over 80 widely recognized health policy experts, researched
public health literature and evaluated potential policies based on three criteria: strength of evidence supporting the policy's impact on health; amount of disease or injury
addressed by the policy; and costs of the policy.

Partnership stressed that the process for coming up with a list of policy recommendations was impartial and scientific and that all of the policies have broad support from
its members.

"For years now, we have been calling on Congress to treat guns like cars by a system of licensing and registration," said Mr. Barnes. "That this distinguished group of
health professionals would come to the same conclusion independently is an important affirmation of all that we have been working for."

The Congressional Prevention Coalition, which commissioned the report, is a group of 60 Members of Congress dedicated to educating their colleagues about the
importance of disease prevention and health promotion and to identifying strategies that can lead to a healthier nation. Noting that the report is being released by
Partnership alone at the Prevention 2000 conference, Mr. Barnes expressed the hope that Coalition members will actively promote the report's recommendations among
their colleagues and work to pass its policy recommendations.

"Why isn't this report being released with the Congressional Prevention Coalition on Capitol Hill as originally planned? The Coalition commissioned this report. They
asked Partnership to answer a simple question. Now they have some clear-cut answers. The next question is for the Coalition: What are you going to do to make sure
those recommendations become a reality?"

To view the report, visit the Partnership for Prevention's website at http://www.prevent.org With the assistance of http://www.SpeakOut.com an nonpartisan internet activism site, visitors to
the Partnership website can voice their support for the report's recommendations to their members of Congress.


[This message has been edited by dZ (edited March 26, 2000).]
 
HCI can't even get a URL right!: http://www.speakout.com/associations/pfp/

NINE HIGH–IMPACT ACTIONS CONGRESS CAN TAKE TO PREVENT DISEASE
AND PROMOTE HEALTH

Tobacco Addiction

1.Increase the federal excise tax on tobacco.
2.Confirm the authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco, including advertising.
3.Ban smoking in enclosed workplaces and public places nationwide.

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death and illness in the United States.  Substantial evidence is available demonstrating the effectiveness of
actions that reduce tobacco addiction and prevent the hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and illnesses each year that result from it. 

Alcohol Use

4.Provide incentives to states to establish uniform drinking and driving laws that: that: 1) set the per se legal blood alcohol content to .08 percent
for adult drivers;  2) establish a strict minimum of one year administrative license revocation for persons who fail or refuse to take a breath test;
and 3) provide federal funds to states for enforcement of drinking and driving laws.

5.Increase the federal excise tax on alcoholic beverages

Most Americans are only too familiar with the problems resulting from alcohol.  Alcohol abuse and misuse causes 105,000 deaths and 10 million illnesses
and injuries each year in the United States. Common-sense motor vehicle policies with proven effectiveness are available to prevent injuries and deaths
caused by drinking and driving.  At the same time, raising the price of alcoholic beverages, whose real price has been decreasing for decades, would lower
consumption among underage drinkers and many heavy legal-age drinkers, resulting in fewer injuries, homicides, suicides, sexually transmitted diseases,
and chronic disease deaths.

Violence

6.Enact a national handgun licensing and registration system operated by the states.

Firearms cause about 32,000 deaths and at least 100,000 injuries each year in the United States.  Adolescents and young adults comprise over a quarter of
these deaths.  Eighty percent of all firearm deaths and injuries are the result of handguns.  Modeling a state-level licensing and registration system for
handguns after the well-accepted and successful state-based system for motor vehicles could help prevent sales for criminal intent, trace the origin of guns
used in crimes, and help ensure safe use.

Oral Health

7.Create financial incentives for communities to develop water fluoridation systems and create programs to increase the use of fluoride rinses and/or
dental sealants among children.

Oral diseases are serious and debilitating and affect more Americans than any other single disease.  Cavities—which are entirely preventable—often go
untreated and lead to considerable discomfort and oral maladies, including tooth loss.  Yet 100 million Americans do not have enough fluoride in their
drinking water to prevent cavities.  Community and school-based programs to increase parents’ knowledge and use of other highly effective cavity
prevention approaches—dental sealants and fluoride rinses—also need federal support.  Oral health can affect a child’s development, nutritional status, and
current and future quality of life.

Physical Activity

8.Create financial incentives for states to require daily physical education classes in secondary schools.

More Americans, including children and adolescents, are overweight today than at any other time in our nation’s history.  The combination of sedentary
living and poor nutrition leads to over 300,000 premature deaths and substantial disability each year.  Americans need more opportunities to get moving
again.  A mere quarter of high school students participates in a physical education class on a daily basis; only 14% of girls in the 12th grade participate in
any type of physical education class or activity while at school each day.  Regular physical activity in adolescence offers immediate health benefits. 
Exercise habits begun early in life can last a lifetime.

Clinical Preventive Services

9.Require that federal entitlement programs, including Medicare, and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) provide insurance
coverage for the clinical preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), with ceilings on co-pays and
deductibles.

Clinical preventive services—immunizations, screening tests, and counseling delivered by health professionals—save lives.  Health insurance coverage for
these services is too often lacking and absence of coverage is an important reason why these services are not uniformly sought and delivered.  While
Medicaid covers most recommended preventive services, Medicare does not, and health plans that participate in FEHBP vary in the preventive services
covered.  Congress should authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to specify coverage policy for all federal entitlement programs and
FEHBP based on the recommendations of the USPSTF, but with the flexibility to consider the cost effectiveness of the services, appropriate providers for
each type of service, and design of the coverage package.  Coverage of clinical preventive services for federally sponsored programs is likely to have an
impact on private coverage policies, expanding access to these services for many more Americans.


Partnership for Prevention has joined with SpeakOut.com to enable
you to communicate with elected officials in support of these
high-impact policies. Starting on March 28, you will be able to send a
prepared message to your elected officials concerning one or more of
the policies. In order to identify your elected representatives, you will
need to register with SpeakOut.com.
 
Interesting list. It still does notanswer my question. How is regestration and licensing going to prevent criminal intent? Such scemes only spend millions of tax dollars and provide no increase in anyones safety.

------------------
 
Yes, it is an interesting list.
Odd that both motor vehicles and drownings (separately) cause much greater levels of death and injury than firearms, are not on the list.
As Ken noted, re firearms, what do the recommendations do to prevent anything? Just one more pipe to fill the Fed money coffers, possibly to fund more bogus medical "studies".

Another thing...ever notice that the "solution" is always taxes, fees, or fines? Thus, the govermnment profits and therefore has a vested interest in the continuation of "bad behavior/activities"

------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
 
Gun violence is perpetuated by criminals. Criminals will not register or get licensed. So how will this help? And if someone who is liscensed and registered goes off the deep end and uses a gun in a violent act, will he reconsider his tool of choice because it is registered? During his/her fit of rage will he reconsider? Ha, I think not. The only way I would consent to liscensing and registeration would be if it carried automatic CCW with it. Now that would prevent crime as it has shown where there is widespread CCW. But that would be a give and take compromise. The antis are not interested in compromise.
 
Scientific and Nonbiased. Sounds like what the scientist said about Eugenics in America, in the 1940s and onward. Forced Steralization of "feeble minded" people.
 
I need to arm myself with the statistics I've read about.Where do I find out the comparative stats of death by drownings,auto,etc?
 
This report is interesting in that it connects the "ban" mindset in various areas. The anti-tobacco fascists, quasi-prohibitionists, and gun control statists are, in many cases, the very same people.

The "there ought to be a law" lobby.

"Nazi" suits them just fine.
 
Back
Top